There’s a Subscription For That is a series spotlighting subscriptions the team at My Subscription Addiction finds interesting and is excited to share with readers.
In the suburban high school I went to, I was often the only black kid in my history class, which was a little weird when Black History Month (or slavery) was the topic of conversation. I never heard much about Black people being anything other than slaves before the Civil War, but through my own exploration I was excited to discover people of color in medieval Europe, Dido Elizabeth Belle, free Blacks in antebellum New Orleans and a lot more. History has become even more vibrant and relevant as I now see a much more diverse, broader picture of the past than I was taught as a kid.
Everyone can discover something new in the past-and sometimes there is history that we're completely unfamiliar with, for one reason or another. But it can be hard to find out about something that you didn't even know existed, and that's where subscriptions like Because of Them We Can come in handy.
Because of Them We Can, or BOTWC, is a monthly subscription that introduces kids aged 5-12 to Black personalities who paved the way for the Black community. If you know Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglas, but not Claudette Colvin and Bessie Coleman, this box may be for you and your kids.
"Because of Them We Can was started by Eunique Jones Gibson in February 2013 as a 28-day photo campaign where children appeared as iconic Black history figures of the past and present," according to the brand. "Inspired by her own sons, Chase and Amari, it was a way to teach and refresh Black history while connecting the dots between the past, present and future."
Jones Gibson and her team traveled to classrooms, interacting with students and educators for five years. "These engagements helped us realize that Black history was only being taught during Black History Month, if at all, and when it was, the subjects were typically relegated to slaves or the same cast of historical figures. After receiving requests from educators for innovative tools and seeing young people expand their aspirations after exposing them to a broader range of history makers, it was clear that we needed to create something that would engage children on a national scale with consistent content curated just for them," she said in 2018. That's when BOTWC launched their first boxes.
Not only does the subscription teach children about older historical figures, but also figures in the more recent past and present too. BOTWC hopes to give their young subscribers people to look up to, while encouraging them to inspire them to blaze trails of their own. They aim to "embrace, amplify, and exude Black excellence on a daily basis."
Every box includes BOTWC apparel (for kids), culturally conscious curriculums, educational activities/props and more. These boxes could be educational for everyone in your household, but they are intended for kids from 5-12.
The Details:
- When you sign up, you select the frequency of your plan as well as your child's clothing size.
- One month costs $39.99; 3 months costs $119.97; 6 months costs $239.94; 12 months costs $439.89 (one box free!)
- Between the 22nd and 25th of each month they ship boxes - if you join after the 15th, your first box ships in the next month.
To celebrate Black businesses during Black History, take a look at some of our favorite Black-owned subscriptions.
What do you think? Do you think BOTWC is something you'd be interested in?
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